Ardenwood's Farm Changes Seasons at Thanksgiving. Here's What Stays Open Through December.

At Ardenwood Historic Farm, the year turns over in one week. The last regular train of 2026 runs Sunday, November 22. Winter admission starts two days later, and the construction notice on the farm's buildings ends the day after that. By Thanksgiving the farm is on a different schedule than it kept all fall. From then through the end of the year, the Patterson House opens on exactly nine scheduled days, and much of the neighborhood's outdoor calendar moves a few miles west to Coyote Hills.

Four Dates in One Week

The East Bay Regional Park District splits Ardenwood's year into two seasons. The Historic Season runs April through mid-November and ends on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The Winter Season starts the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and runs through March. With Thanksgiving on November 26 this year, the handoff looks like this:

• Sunday, November 22. The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources lists this as the "Last day of Operation 2026" for the farm's train. Its normal season runs from the first weekend of April through Thanksgiving week on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Tuesday, November 24. Winter Season admission begins.
• Wednesday, November 25. The park district's construction notice ends. It covers work on "several buildings throughout Ardenwood Historic Farm" that began October 12, and it warns that some buildings and exhibits may be temporarily closed, with dust and noise near the work areas.
• Thursday, November 26. The farm is closed for Thanksgiving.

So the train's final run falls on the last day of the Historic Season, and the construction window closes during the first days of winter pricing. If you want one more ride before April, that Sunday is the only day left.

What the Winter Price Changes

All fall, Ardenwood charged two rates. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, admission was $4 for adults, $3 for seniors 62 and up and $2 for children 4 to 17. On Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays it rose to $6, $5 and $4. Those higher-priced days were the ones with Patterson House tours, the train and the blacksmith working the forge.

In winter, every open day costs the lower rate: $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for children and free for children under 4, Tuesday through Sunday. The farm keeps its 10am to 4pm hours and stays closed on Mondays. Parking is free. The farm is cashless and takes Visa, MasterCard, Discover or Tap to Pay at the kiosk, and all admission sales are final. Dogs are not permitted, and neither are frisbees, balls, bicycles or balloons.

The lower price comes with a smaller program. The park page lists the house tours and the train for the Historic Season only, apart from special events. In December, those special events are the reason to go.

Nine Days Inside the Patterson House

The house started as a modest farmhouse that George Patterson built in 1857. A grand Queen Anne addition came in 1889, as the family's farm and standing in East Bay society grew. The house served three generations of Pattersons. The City of Fremont's Patterson House page describes tour days as April to mid-November "and some weekends in December."

This year, those December weekends are "Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Patterson House," listed in the park district's November–December 2026 activity guide. Costumed docents lead tours through 14 rooms decorated with Victorian-style holiday ornaments on three Friday-to-Sunday weekends: December 4–6, 11–13 and 18–20.

The tour is included in Ardenwood admission. Because the December weekends fall in the Winter Season, an adult pays $4 to see the decorated house on a Friday or Sunday in December. On an ordinary Friday or Sunday tour day in October, the same adult paid $6. The park page also says special-event fees can vary and gives (510) 544-2797 for current pricing, so a quick call before going is reasonable.

For a family with mixed ages, the schedule works in a simple order. Take the 11am downstairs tour with the youngest, then send anyone 6 or older on the 11:30am full tour. The house, hay barn, granary, café and restrooms are all wheelchair accessible, and most of the farm's roads are paved with no significant grade changes.

The Farm's Smaller Programs Into December

Around the house tours, the guide lists a few hands-on programs at the farm. They follow the same turn-of-the-century theme.

1. Acorn Cakes, Saturday, November 21, 1:30–2:30pm. A Native American Heritage Month program on the significance of acorns to the Ohlone Peoples, with acorn cakes to taste and a traditional game Ohlone children have played for generations. Drop-in.
2. Wreath Making Workshop, Sunday, December 6, 10am–1pm. Participants build wreaths from aromatic evergreens and bring their own handheld pruners. It is for ages 10 and up, and youth under 16 must register with an accompanying adult. The fee is $33 for residents and $38 for non-residents. Registration is required under program code 60705.
3. Clothespin Dolls, Sunday, December 13, 11:30am–12:30pm. Children make and dress dolls from clothespins "the way it was done more than 100 years ago." Drop-in.
4. Fun With Felting, Sunday, December 27, 11:30am–12:30pm. Drop-in.

The wreath workshop falls on the first Sunday of the Christmas tours, and the clothespin dolls fall on the second. You can pair either with a house tour on the same admission day.

Coyote Hills Picks Up the Calendar

As Ardenwood scales back, Coyote Hills Regional Park adds hours. Its gates are open 8am to 6pm through November 27. From November 28 through December 31, they open an hour earlier, at 7am, and still close at 6pm. The Visitor Center is open 10am to 4pm, Wednesday through Sunday. Parking is $5 per vehicle.

The park also has more scheduled programs than the farm through December. Most are drop-in:

• Birding Basics for Kids, Saturday, November 14, 11am, and the Coyote Hills Treasure Hunt, the same afternoon at 1pm. The treasure hunt repeats Saturday, December 5, 1–2pm.
• Work and Play with Tule, Saturday, November 21, 10–11:30am, on the plant's role in the marsh and its traditional and current uses.
• Green Friday Hike, November 27, 10am–noon. A moderate two-mile hike with about 200 feet of elevation gain, the day after Thanksgiving.
• Turkeys on Trails, Sunday, November 29, 10–11:30am.
• Who Scat That?, Sunday, December 6, 10–11:30am. Kids make animal tracks, then walk the park looking for wildlife signs.
• Sunset Hike, Saturday, December 12, 4:30–5:30pm. A moderate one-mile climb up Glider Hill to watch the sunset. Bring a flashlight.
• Teatime Trot and Treat, Sunday, December 13, 11am–noon. An easy half-mile walk with stories about native plants. Bring a mug.
• Rainbow Walk, Saturday, December 19, 10:30–11:30am.
• Last Hike of the Year, Sunday, December 27, 3–4:30pm. Two miles with a steep climb and time set aside for journaling.

The program closest to a neighborhood milestone is on Sunday, November 29, from 2 to 3pm. The Coast Live Oak's Golden Birthday Party marks 50 years since the park planted its coast live oak. A naturalist will talk about why oaks matter to people and wildlife, and there will be cake at the Visitor Center. No registration is required. It starts a few hours after Turkeys on Trails ends, so Thanksgiving weekend can end with both on the same Sunday.

Holiday Closures at Both Parks

The two parks keep different holiday schedules, and the difference matters on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year. Ardenwood opens its usual 10am to 4pm that day at the $4 winter rate, while Coyote Hills is closed. Both parks list New Year's Day as an open holiday, and Coyote Hills also lists New Year's Eve. Its Monday closures continue all winter, since its only Monday exceptions are Memorial Day and Labor Day.

The Joseph Sabeh follows Fremont's seasonal calendar closely, down to the Sunday the Ardenwood train makes its last run. If you'd like to talk through what this part of town offers in the months ahead, we're glad to Work With Us.